The Center of an Edge. Restructuring the Commercial Market and Relocating the Neighbourhood Library

Authors’ Comment

The Southern District of Focșani, a place marked by the monotony and greyness of the 1970s and 1980s, could be seen as a canvas over which the grisaille technique was applied — the existing fabric being merely the first gray-toned underpainting layer, laid down 50 years ago, now dried and waiting for layers of color, details, flower petals to complete the painting. Wouldn’t this place, then, be easier to accept and transform into something beautiful?
The project proposes the regeneration of the Southern District of Focșani by creating a coherent neighborhood center composed of a wide range of public amenities. The strategy involves restructuring the commercial area near the district's only historical monument — the Heroes' Mausoleum — and relocating the library, as the cultural function is considered essential to the urban regeneration process. As a residential area developed to support the rapid industrialization policy imposed by the communist regime, the Southern District is located on the outskirts of the city, segregated from Focșani’s historic core by the presence of several military units. In terms of zoning, the district is divided by a boulevard into two distinct parts: the first includes the industrial zone, while the second, the eastern section, was designated for standardized housing. Developed starting in 1973 around a space that highlights the Heroes' Mausoleum (originally built outside the city during the interwar period), this eastern section is the focus of the diploma project. Thus, the project explores, from an optimistic perspective, the very condition of the district’s segregation from the city, aiming to highlight and enhance the potential benefits that such an urban configuration might offer.